Introduction
In today’s rapidly evolving business world, artificial intelligence (AI) skills are no longer optional—they are essential. Recognizing this shift, the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business has opened its Applied AI Lab. This hands-on space brings together students, faculty and industry partners under one roof to solve real problems using cutting-edge AI tools. With powerful hardware, expert guidance and a spirit of collaboration, the lab equips its users to turn ideas into impact.
Main Story
Since its opening, the Applied AI Lab has become a hub of activity. Students from finance, marketing, operations, information systems and beyond are using the facility to test new concepts, build prototypes and learn by doing. State-of-the-art workstations fitted with AI-optimized GPUs let users train machine-learning models in hours instead of days. Open collaboration zones encourage teams to sketch ideas on whiteboards, huddle around screens and swap feedback. Faculty members guide projects, while industry mentors from companies such as Fifth Third Bank, Procter & Gamble and Kroger drop in to offer real-world context.
One senior finance major used the lab to build a credit-risk model for a local bank partner. By training an algorithm on anonymized customer data, she created a tool that flags high-risk applications with 30 percent greater accuracy than the bank’s existing system. She presented her findings at a campus hackathon and was offered an internship before graduation. A group of marketing students teamed up with a Cincinnati nonprofit to develop a chatbot that answers donor questions 24/7. Their AI agent handled over 2,000 queries in its first month, freeing staff to focus on relationship building.
The lab’s offerings extend beyond project space. Weekly workshops cover essential skills such as Python programming, data visualization and prompt engineering for large language models (LLMs). Faculty members lead lunch-and-learn sessions on topics like data ethics and bias mitigation. For those seeking deeper credentials, the lab awards micro-certificates in areas such as predictive analytics and natural language processing. These badges stack toward a full Applied AI Certificate that students can show to future employers.
Industry partners play a vital role. Kroger data scientists host “office hours” at the lab, reviewing students’ code and suggesting optimizations. A team from P&G brought a real supply-chain challenge: predicting inventory needs for regional distribution centers. Students used time-series forecasting techniques to reduce stock-out risk by an estimated 15 percent. Fifth Third Bank sponsored a weekend hackathon focused on fraud detection. Participating teams used transaction logs to train models that spot suspicious behavior. One student group’s prototype caught simulated fraud cases with 92 percent accuracy.
Lab director Dr. Alice Johnson emphasizes the importance of bridging theory with practice. “Textbook knowledge sets the foundation,” she says, “but real mastery comes from applying those concepts to messy, real-world data.” To that end, the lab partners with UC’s Data Science Institute and the Department of Computer Science to support interdisciplinary research. Graduate students working on natural language understanding collaborate with business school peers on legal-contract analysis, while operations researchers team up with marketing students to optimize customer segmentation strategies.
The Applied AI Lab also serves faculty members looking to integrate AI into their courses. Professors can reserve lab time for in-class demonstrations or group work. Teaching assistants host drop-in hours to help students troubleshoot code. And the lab staff curates datasets and software licenses to make it easy for instructors to adopt AI modules. As a result, core courses in finance, marketing and management are infused with AI-focused case studies and assignments.
Looking ahead, the lab plans to expand its partnerships with healthcare and manufacturing firms in the Cincinnati region. Talks are underway with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to explore AI-driven diagnostic tools and with GE Aviation on predictive maintenance for jet engines. The lab will also host its first regional AI symposium this fall, bringing together academics, students and business leaders to share best practices and discuss emerging trends.
Three Takeaways
• Hands-On Learning: Students use real data and industry challenges to build AI solutions that work.
• Industry Collaboration: Leading companies mentor teams, offer data and sponsor events, ensuring projects have real impact.
• Career Readiness: Workshops, micro-certificates and project experience prepare students for AI-focused roles in any industry.
Three-Question FAQ
Q: Who can use the Applied AI Lab?
A: Any Lindner College student—undergraduate or graduate—can reserve space. Faculty members and approved industry partners may also access resources for collaborative projects.
Q: What tools and resources are available?
A: The lab features high-performance GPU workstations, data visualization software, cloud AI platforms, VR headsets for immersive demos and a library of public and partner-provided datasets. Workshops and mentoring are included at no extra cost.
Q: How do I get started?
A: Visit the Lindner Applied AI Lab website to book an orientation session. You can join a workshop, apply for a micro-certificate or propose an industry partnership. Contact lab director Dr. Alice Johnson at ai-lab@uc.edu for custom projects.
Call to Action
Ready to unlock the power of AI? Visit uc.edu/lindner/ai-lab to learn more, reserve your spot or explore partnership opportunities. Dive in today and turn your ideas into the next big innovation!
